Notre Dame Awards License for Smith’s Cell Targeting Technology

Published: March 01, 2010

Author: Chris Pak and Shannon Chapla

The University of Notre Dame has awarded an exclusive license to Molecular Targeting Technologies Inc. (MTTI) for novel sensing technology developed by Bradley Smith, Emil T. Hofman Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

The technology can selectively target dead and dying mammalian cells as well as bacteria. When the targeting component is attached to a fluorescent probe, it has been successfully used to target mammary and prostate tumors and bacterial infection in mice.

“This unique probe has the potential to image cell death as a means to intervene early in diseases and rapidly determine the effectiveness of treatments,” Smith said. “Imaging of cell death is broadly useful for treatment of numerous conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, neurology, renal diseases and even transplant rejection.”

“We are excited to be working with MTTI on this technology,” said Richard Cox, director of licensing for Notre Dame’s Office of Technology Transfer. “MTTI has a track record of translating novel molecules from the preclinical to the clinical setting and we look forward to seeing this technology applied to patients in the near future.”

The targeting probe can be used for in vitro applications as well as for in vivo molecular imaging. “We believe this technology has the potential to target myocardial ischemia, Alzheimers disease, cancer and bacterial infections,” said MTTI President and CEO Chris Pak.

Initially, MTTI will launch a range of fluorescent versions of the phosphatidylserine (PS) targeting molecule for research applications. Products will be sold under the name PSVue, and should be available in early March. MTTI is a privately held US-based biotechnology company founded to develop novel medical imaging products for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and cancer. In addition, MTTI develops fluorescent probes and other research tools for use by the research community.